A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
by leoslady4ever
Summary: For Lucy, drawing was a distant dream until a magic store boasts a new big seller, a potion that imbues the user with a talent they don't normally have for one full day. Now, with the urge to sketch shooting through her veins, she looks to her fellow guild members for inspiration, with one providing far more than he could have ever imagined. (T for language)


_Funny story...this came from me and **Nicole4211** always saying we wished we could draw. I think we all know what the two of us would be sketching if that was the case, and from that came this idea for a silly little story. Hope you enjoy!_

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**_Hiro Mashima _**_owns Fairy Tail. _

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**A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS**

For as long as she could remember, Lucy wanted to draw. People, animals, boats... Quite frankly, she'd settle for drawing a sun if she thought she could manage it. Sadly though, she had never been much of an artist. Hell, she could barely draw a perfect circle, much less a person, but oh how she'd wanted to.

She'd seen other people draw, their hands flying over the page, pencil shaking this way and that, and slowly it would morph into a sketch of epic proportions. But her...not even a stick figure. She was just about the worst drawer she'd ever seen with the exception of maybe Natsu who could barely handle a straight line.

Still, it was one of those things – a silly wish really. But Lucy wasn't satisfied with keeping it that way. She wanted a chance to make it real. She wasn't ignorant to think that she could overnight transform herself into some magnificent artist, but for a day? That was doable.

So, with a skip in her step, she made her way to the magic shop in town. She'd heard they'd come out with a new line of products fashioned for this very type of thing. 'Talent For A Day' or so it was called. Not all that catchy if you asked her, but she could care less if it did what it boasted – turn her into a great artist for just a single day. She'd be happy with that.

After all, she had her writing. That was where her real talent lied, and she was content with it. All she wanted was one day of experiencing the excitement of creating a picture, of bringing an image to life.

She sighed happily as she entered the store, and within minutes was exiting with a small vial of potion in hand. Getting no further than the end of the block, she pulled off the top and drank it all down. She waited for a moment, wondering if it would make her feel different, if she would suddenly gain the urge to sketch, but everything felt as it usually did.

Still, the woman at the shop hadn't specified how long it would take to start working, only that it wouldn't be long. So, she slipped the vial in her purse and headed toward the guild. She couldn't wait to tell Levy about what she had done. They'd talked about doing something like this for such a long time, and she was finally doing it.

Minutes later, she was pushing through the double doors of the guild, and not at all surprisingly, finding herself in the middle of a massive fight. Chairs and various other bits of furniture sailed through the air, along with multiple types of magic.

It was just as it always was, and suddenly the urge hit her. She had to draw it, had to capture this moment on paper, and with a squeal of excitement, she dodged through the mess that was her guild mates battling and found herself an empty table. Gone was the desire to find her Script mage friend. All she could think about was the blank slips of paper in her bag and the etching pencil she'd bought just for this.

She blinked up at the scene, her eyes drinking in the positions of all of her friends, the way their bodies moved as they fought, the excitement shining bright in their eyes, and once again, she couldn't deny the surge inside her. She grabbed for her art supplies and settled in.

The blonde hunched over the slowly filling page, her hand flitting this way and that. Every now and then, her head would lift, her eyes narrowing in on a particular subject before focusing back on the drawing in her hand.

It took her all of fifteen minutes to finish, and when she looked down at the finished product, she nearly gasped in disbelief. There on the page was a picture worthy of an award. She had somehow managed to capture the fire in Natsu's eyes as well as the flames that whipped around his hands. And Gray...she'd been able to convey the chilly haze that seeped from his body when he activated his magic. The others were the same way. It was almost like she could see their personalities swimming there in the faces she'd drawn.

She stared at it, enamored by the scene she'd sketched so flawlessly, and then as if pulled by an invisible string, she reached for another page. This magic was only for a day, and she wanted to use it to it's fullest before she had to say goodbye.

With that desire firmly in mind, she bit her lip and looked over the crowd for other people to draw. Mira? Quietly, she shook her head. Reedus? Once more, she frowned. Who did she want to sketch?

Then a body passed through her field of vision, and with eyes widening, Lucy grinned. Why not?

She dove back into her drawing with a vengeance, not even needing a second glance to get the detail right. There was no need for further inspiration. She'd spent enough time admiring this man's looks to require more than the initial thought.

She finished in record time, which wasn't saying much as this was only her second picture, but as she looked down at her drawing, she couldn't help feeling smug. For there on that page stood the nude figure of one Laxus Dreyar. A giggle forced its way up her throat, and with a glance around her to ensure no one was looking, Lucy took another look.

She eyed it critically, wondering if she'd gotten the dimensions right. She could only guess on a certain part of his anatomy as she'd never actually seen it before. And of course, she had no way of knowing if he grew that much when aroused, but other than those educated guesses, she felt like she'd gotten him just right.

Feeling proud of her accomplishments, however pervy the last one was, she decided to do another. She just needed a subject.

She cast her gaze around the guild once more and found Levy sitting with Gajeel, her body leaning in as she listened to something he'd said. Shortly thereafter, the short woman drew back, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink, and Lucy grinned.

Reaching for her pencil once more, Lucy began drawing the fierce Iron Dragon Slayer standing tall and proud, with not a stitch of clothing covering his body. She furrowed her brows as she imagined his lower regions, then cracked a smile as she added several piercings to his arousal. To finish him off, she added his trademark smirk, his eyes glancing off to the side in amusement. There, in the path of his gaze, Lucy added a bookcase with Levy peeking from behind, blushing rather fiercely.

Sitting back, the Celestial mage had to laugh. It was rather perfect and funny as hell. She knew her friend would kill her for drawing such a thing, but she couldn't help herself. The thought was there, and she'd had to draw it. Besides, it was true. She knew if given the chance to see that man naked, Levy would jump on it. Poor girl had it bad.

Stuffing the picture into her bag along with the others, Lucy turned back to the sea of subjects at her disposal and tried to pick one. And pick one she did.

She couldn't have denied the urge to sketch him if she'd wanted to. For far too long, she'd wanted to see that man naked, and if was the only way she'd get the opportunity, she'd take it. Without really even seeing what she was doing, she snatched up a new page and moved to draw him.

She took her time, wanting to get this right, needing to get him right. Every hair had to be in the right place, which was difficult because of Bickslow's propensity to wear his helmet at all times. She supposed he was worried about his Figure Eight eyes activating and accidentally hurting someone, but at the moment, all it did was frustrate her. She wished she could just catch one more glimpse so she could get it perfect, but she'd just have to do it from memory.

It wasn't as if she didn't know what he looked like. She'd certainly dreamed of him often enough to suffice, but she wished she didn't have to draw him from her imagination. She would have loved to draw him from a personal experience, but that wasn't going to happen.

So she threw aside her annoyance and concentrated on enjoying this. It was to be her masterpiece, and she wanted it to look good, especially since she'd decided to add herself to the mix. It might be the only time she would ever get so close to him, so she made sure to pay special attention to the details.

It took some time to get it the way she wanted, and by consequence, she found herself so absorbed in what she was doing, that she didn't hear someone come up behind her until a voice spoke.

"The ass should be rounder."

Still, Lucy wasn't paying enough attention to understand that she'd been caught. She hummed in consideration, turning her head slightly to the side before nodding. "Yeah, I think you're right."

She moved back over that portion of her drawing, erasing the lines she'd made and making new ones to create the look the wanted. "Much better," she mumbled to herself, already forgetting the person who'd pointed out the flaw in the first place. "Now, I just need to finish up this part here..."

Several strokes of her pencil later, and Lucy was leaning back with a satisfied smile on her face. "Done..."

She gazed at the picture in amazement, astounded by how real it looked. There on that page, she'd drawn her dream, that fantasy she'd told no one but Levy. And now it felt like it had really happened, that Bickslow had really spent the night in her bed. That he had kissed her and loved her until the sun had come up.

She'd positioned their bodies together, Bickslow's over hers, his lean form pressed between her legs, his arms holding him up above her. Her hands were grasping at him as she arched off the bed, her eyes closed as her face twisted in ecstasy.

It was a stunning picture, one that she wished was true, one that she ached to a reality.

Suddenly, that voice from before sounded again, this time coming out in a low hum and very close to her ear. "You made us look so real..."

Her eyes going wide, Lucy began to shake, only now realizing who'd been behind her all this time. She felt her face flame and without thought, her hand started to crumple the page before he could get an even closer look. But Bickslow reached out and grabbed it from her before she could ruin it. "Hey, don't mess it up. It's really good."

She didn't think she'd even been so embarrassed in her life. Of all the ways for Bickslow to find out how she felt about him...

And how the hell was she supposed to explain this? It was racy and completely inappropriate. No matter how casual he acted about the whole thing, she couldn't help but feel like she'd done something wrong.

Finding her voice, she whispered a quiet apology. She didn't know what else to do, what else to say. How was she supposed to tell this man that she had liked him for months? Did she even have to?

Suddenly, he took a seat beside her, and almost against her will, she looked over at him. She found him with his helmet off and his brow furrowed with confusion. "Why are you apologizing?"

Lucy couldn't resist taking a moment to enjoy seeing his face before she remembered that he'd asked a question, a rather dumb one to be honest. She blinked at him, trying to see if he was serious before shaking her head in disbelief. "I drew you naked, and us..." She let the words trail off because quite frankly, there wasn't enough courage or alcohol in the world for her to blatantly state what she'd drawn them doing.

Bickslow laughed at her explanation. "I know what we were doing. I just don't know why you're apologizing for it."

How could he take this so lightly? Did he not get why she'd drawn it? Did he think she just liked picturing herself sleeping with random men?

She found herself getting defensive. "Look, I feel like I crossed a line here, and I'm sorry for it. So, if you could just give me my picture, I'll be on my way."

But the Seith mage just shook his head. "What are you going to do with it?"

Lucy wanted to groan in defeat at his question. Why was he asking that? Why couldn't he just let her go with some semblance of dignity? "I...I'm going to throw it away."

Bickslow's eyes widened at her response. "Why the hell would you do that? It's an amazing picture. I'll just keep it."

Keep it? Why the hell would he keep it? Lucy's head shifted side to side in panic. "You can't keep it!"

"Why can't I? You're just going to throw it away."

His reasoning was flawless, and it left her feeling trapped. She couldn't let him have such a telling drawing. It was damning – all but screaming her interest in him to all who looked at it. But then again, she couldn't tell him the truth. If she said she wanted to save it, he'd wonder why, and she'd be forced to tell him she liked him or lie. And she couldn't do that. Not only was she horrible at lying; she also couldn't bring herself to deceive him about her feelings for him.

But what could she do? He was sitting there looking so smug, like he knew he'd backed her into a corner, and maybe he did. Maybe he'd already figured it all out and was just trying to force her to admit it.

Could she do that? Could she finally swallow down her fear of rejection and tell him that she cared about him?

Lucy swallowed hard as he continued to watch her, and then before she could reconsider, she blurted out the truth. "You can't have it because I'm keeping it."

His mouth twitched at her quickly mumbled words, and Lucy felt dread settle into the pit of her stomach when he asked just what she'd known he would ask. "And why do you want it so much?"

She had to take several breaths before she could amass the strength to answer him, and by that time, panic was crawling up her throat. Maybe he would accept a partial truth. "I...I can't draw. This is only because I took a potion today. It would kill me to part with it."

"It would kill you?" he asked, his lips beginning to curl. "But it's just a drawing, isn't it? It doesn't mean anything."

"Of course it means something!" Lucy retorted, then blanched as she realized what she'd admitted. "I...I mean, all my drawings mean something."

Bickslow's eyes flashed with interest. "Oh? There's more?"

A jolt of relief zipped through her. Maybe this was her way out. "Yeah. Here," she said in a rush, handing him the guild fight picture. "You can have this one!"

Suddenly, the man smirked, and Lucy had the distinct feeling she'd done just what he'd wanted her to do. "Oh, but I thought all your drawings meant something to you. How can you give this one away and not the one I want?"

Bells clanged in the blonde's head, signaling her ship going down. She'd been caught and caught badly. There was no way to get out of this. She was well and truly trapped, and that apparently was right where he'd wanted her.

Her mouth opened and closed as if trying to find a defense, and then she let her head drop in defeat. He had her, and she knew it. Better she just admit the truth and move on. She was only prolonging her humiliation. With her eyes firmly planted on her hands, she whispered the words she'd kept under wraps for so long. "I don't want to give it away...because I...I like you."

A deep chuckle sounded as the last of her statement faded, then a hand touched her chin, lifting her head enough for him to catch her eyes. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

Lucy said nothing for a time, her mind trying hard to make sense of the soft smile she saw on his lips. "W-What?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he repeated. He leaned in a fraction, taking her hand in his. "I could have taken you out."

Her brain tried to muddle its way through his suggestion. Was this real? Was he actually saying what she thought he was saying? "Taken me out? You mean...on a date?"

"Yeah, on a date. If I'd known you had the hots for me, I'd have asked you out long before now," he said with a grin, his tongue slipping out in a show of amusement.

Lucy had to laugh at the return of his usual personality. It was like that one thing had broken the ice for them, and she was grateful. She'd been acting like a parrot almost, repeating everything back to him as if there wasn't a brain inside her head.

"Well, I said I liked you. I didn't actually say I had the hots for you," she corrected, feeling much more like herself now that all her fears and embarrassment were gone.

Once more, his tongue made an appearance. "You may not have said it, but this picture sure did."

Lucy flushed as he stood and literally waved the proof in her face. She glanced around for spectators and made a grab for it. Of course she failed, seeing as Bickslow was so much taller than her. He'd only had to lift the paper an inch or two to thwart her plans, and to add insult to injury, he laughed. "Come on now. No need to be ashamed. I like a girl that can get a little naughty."

"Bickslow!" she whispered harshly, ignoring the way her cheeks burned. "Would you quit? Someone's going to see that!"

And she was right. All at once, she could feel eyes on them, and turning around, she realized it wasn't just a select few. Nearly every mage in the building had turned to see what they were doing. Somehow, during the time she'd spent drawing and her talk with Bickslow, things had calmed down, gotten quiet. How had she not noticed that?

She found Mira heading toward them, and this time, she did groan. This was going to get much worse. The woman's eyes gleamed with interest as she peered at them. "And what's going on here?"

Lucy spun to look at Bickslow, silently pleading with him to keep it a secret, but one look at that smirk told her it wasn't happening. "We're just talking about this picture she drew," he said as he sidled up next to her and threw an arm over her shoulder.

She supposed that was his way of showing support, but she could really just kick him right now. Why did he want to show that woman something so private? She looked up with a glare, promising retribution should he follow through on that notion, and as he glanced down and saw how angry she was getting, he backtracked.

"It's really no big deal," he said, trying to stuff the picture in his back pocket.

But suddenly, a hand whipped out, snatching the paper from his grasp. "Oh hot damn! This is steamy stuff!"

Lucy gaped at Cana in horror, knowing what was coming, and sure enough, the brunette backstabber grinned and turned the picture for Mira to see. "Check it out."

A high-pitched squeal went up, causing several guild members to clap their hands over her ears, and then down she went, fainting into a pile of romantic goo on the floor.

Erza gazed down at the woman and shook her head. "What in the world did you draw, Lucy?"

Lucy winced at her question. To be honest, the blonde wouldn't have minded showing Erza, but to have everyone else in the guild see it? That was going to be absolute torture. She was never going to live this down.

Bickslow tipped his head to look at her, his expression tight with regret, and he mouthed a quick apology before Cana answered the Requip mage's question. "It's her and Bickslow fucking!"

Yeah, Lucy was going to die. Judging by the gasps and howls of laughter that went up around the room, she knew she had just earned a seat at the perv table, and she couldn't even say she didn't deserve it.

Oh, why had she drawn something so erotic here? Hell, why had she drawn it at all? This was turning into such a disaster!

But then Bickslow arms slid around her, and suddenly, she remembered it wasn't all bad. If nothing else, she'd gotten a date with him out of it, and that was more than enough to counter all the knowing looks and teasing that was sure to come. She could deal with it all now that she had him by her side. After all, he was just as big a perv as she was.


End file.
